The easiest vegan banana bread! Made with just one bowl, this simple walnut and chocolate banana bread will surely become a family favourite.
A one-bowl vegan banana bread – that’s what makes it the easiest! Just mix and bake, no extra dishes or electronics needed. Banana bread is a great recipe to try vegan even if you’re a novice baker, because bananas add great hold and act as an egg replacer – no chia or flax egg needed.
This tastes pretty much spot on to any not vegan banana bread, with a bit of a healthier twist thanks to olive oil and walnuts. Sometimes we love a loaf of sourdough banana bread and sometimes this super easy loaf, depending what’s on hand.
So make a loaf and have it for breakfast all week (if it lasts that long!) or keep it around for snacks. This one is great for adults and kids alike. Try lightly toasting a slice, it’s the best with some (vegan) butter or nut butter.
Ingredients
Method
Add bananas to a bowl. Mash with a fork. Add sugars, oil, and milk. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients. Gently mix to incorporate. Add the walnuts and chocolate. Gently fold in. Spoon into a lined tin and bake.
Tips and Notes
If you hate chunks of banana in your banana bread, you can mix the oil, sugars, milk, banana, and vanilla in a blender before adding to the bowl. That’s how the recipe was originally set up but we decided to do everything in a single bowl to streamline a bit more.
If your pan is longer and narrower than usual, the baking time might vary slightly from what’s suggested in the recipe card. Since this also depends on actual temperature of your oven, it’s a good idea to do a toothpick test in any case.
Gently fold in the chocolate and nuts with a spatula to prevent over-mixing of the batter. If you’re unsure, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add the chocolate to that mixture before adding to the banana mix.
Substitutions
We haven’t tested this, but we think that you might be able to make this loaf gluten-free by using a good GF flour blend like the Bob’s Red Mill one. The bananas should hold everything together enough.
If you don’t have walnuts, and other nuts or seeds are good – our top picks are hazelnuts and pecans. Any type of chocolate can be subbed for dark, so use what you have one hand (but note that it might not be vegan, so take a look at the ingredients if you’re making the bread as a gift).
Use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate if it’s what you have on hand.
Other types of sugar can be used in place of cane sugar, like more brown or even coconut sugar. They will change the flavour a bit. It can go the other way, too, if you only have cane sugar, but we love the caramel flavour brown sugar adds.
We usually use oat milk, but any non-dairy milk is fine for this recipe.
More Great Banana Recipes:
Cinnamon Banana Waffles
Sourdough Banana Bread (one bowl)
Almond Flour Banana Muffins (gluten free)
Banana Breakfast Cookies with Dark Chocolate (vegan)
Chocolate Banana Babka (vegan)
If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.
Recipe
Easiest Vegan Banana Bread
The easiest vegan banana bread! Made with just one bowl, this wholesome
walnut and chocolate banana bread will surely become a family favourite.
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
- ⅓ cup (80 g) natural cane sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 g) brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup (60 ml) non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose (white) flour
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup (125 g) raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 4 oz. (100 g) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until very smooth. Add the olive oil, cane sugar, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Stir until just combined.
- Gently fold the walnuts and chocolate into the bowl, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling fully on a rack. This loaf keeps well in a sealed container for up to 3-4 days at room temperature, or up to a month in the freezer.
Notes
If you hate chunks of banana in your banana bread, you can mix the oil, sugars, milk, banana, and vanilla in a blender before adding to the bowl. That’s how the recipe was originally set up but we decided to do everything in a single bowl to streamline a bit more.
If your pan is longer and narrower than usual, the baking time might vary slightly from what’s suggested in the recipe card. Since this also depends on actual temperature of your oven, it’s a good idea to do a toothpick test in any case.
Gently fold in the chocolate and nuts with a spatula to prevent over-mixing of the batter. If you’re unsure, mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add the chocolate to that mixture before adding to the banana mix.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 324Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 204mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 5gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
This post was originally shared in February 2018. It’s been updated with improvements to the recipe and text most recently as of September 2021.
Payton says
This looks amazing! Any chance I could make it gluten-free by using all purpose GF flour?
Sophie Mackenzie says
Hey Payton, I have’t tried it as a gluten free loaf, but I feel it should work with a good gluten free blend like maybe the Bobs red mill type. <3
Justine Nigro says
I have made this once and LOVE IT! For my second round I am wanting to use maple syrup instead of sugar. If so,, would I have to alter my other liquids to suit?
Sophie Mackenzie says
Hi Justine, so happy you like the loaf! Yes, so can totally try maple syrup. I usually add 3/4 of a cup maple syrup per 1 cup sugar and reduce the liquid in the recipe by three tbsp. This recipe has 2/3 sugar so I’d maybe add 1/3 plus 2 tbsp maple syrup and reduce the milk to 2-3 tbsp. If this is all too complicated, I have this recipe which is maple syrup based.http://www.wholeheartedeats.com/2014/01/when-life-gives-you-banana-bread-html/ <3
Dreeks says
In the oven at this very moment Saturday January 16, 2021. Looks great, can’t wait to taste it.😋 Will let you know the end result.